The Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) has a special Aircraft Section to provide tactical air support for its many missions, which include border security, drug enforcement, search and rescue operations and much more. In the upcoming July 2013 issue of Tactical Weapons, author Nick Jacobellis rides along with the top pilots and operators in the Texas DPS Aircraft Section to learn more about their skills, training and high-octane weaponry.

For sidearms, DPS aviators use the Sig Sauer P226 in .357 SIG with a DAK trigger. They also use 5.56mm Bushmaster M4s and Remington 870 pump shotguns. For aerial use-of-force missions, Aircraft Section operators use 7.62mm NATO LaRue Optimized Battle Rifles (OBRs) with 18-inch barrels.
And how well do these men perform? From September 1, 2010, to August 31, 2011, as Jacobellis reports, “the Aircraft Section performed numerous missions, including locating 6,172 suspects, assisting in the arrest of 3,650 individuals, participating in the seizure of various narcotics and illegal drugs valued at just under $110 million, locating and rescuing dozens of citizens, recovering over $2.7 million in stolen property, conducting over 300 photographic surveillance missions and assisting in 2,806 criminal investigations.”

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